The field of the invention is coin sorting/counting machines of the type that quickly and automatically sort coins in various denominations while providing a print-out or visual display of the accumulated totals of the coins being sorted.
As described in Kressin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,237, issued Dec. 21, 1976, there have been a number of coin sorters in the art that have utilized rotating discs through which coins are sorted into denominations for counting and/or packaging. The sorter of Kressin et al. uses a high-speed rotating disc to distribute coins by centrifugal force to its circumference where they are picked off by plows, which are styled according to the various denominations of coins to be picked off.
Another type of rotating disc sorter is a "core" sorter of the type disclosed in Buchholz et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,196,257, issued July 20, 1965 and Bergman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,751, issued June 30, 1981. In this type of sorter, coins are fed into a rotating disc with a scalloped edge and then dropped through an opening into a series of coin receiving slots. The interiors of the slots each form a series of graduated ledges so that larger coins are caught at a higher level then smaller coins. This type of sorter has a coin sorting rate which is substantially less than the rate for the sorter in U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,237, however, the feeding mechanism and interaction with the operator must also be considered in the overall processing rate for equipment employing such a sorter.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,237, the coin sorting machine has a rotary feeding device with a pocket for receiving a first batch of coins. The feeder is then rotated to dump the first batch of coins onto the sorting disc, while the feeder receives a second batch of coins in another pocket. The coin sorter, however, may be idle between batches, and the operator may not be able to keep pace with the feeder, thus limiting the overall processing rate for the machine. The "core" type sorter described above is slower and less expensive than the high speed sorter of Kressin et al., but with improvements in batch feeding, the overall processing rate for a machine using such a sorter could be comparable to the rate for machines using higher speed sorters.